1945
Champions Major League Baseball *World Series: Detroit Tigers over Chicago Cubs (4-3) *All-Star Game cancelled due to flight restrictions. However, inter-league games were played during the All-Star break. Other champions *Negro League World Series: Cleveland Buckeyes over Homestead Grays (4-0) *Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: West, 9-6 *All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: Rockford Peaches Awards and honors *'Most Valuable Player' **Hal Newhouser (AL) - P, Detroit Tigers **Phil Cavarretta (NL) - 1B, Chicago Cubs *'The Sporting News Player of the Year Award' **Hal Newhouser - P, Detroit Tigers *'The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award' **Eddie Mayo (AL) - 2B, Detroit Tigers **Tommy Holmes (NL) - OF, Boston Braves *'The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award' **Hal Newhouser (AL) - Detroit Tigers **Hank Borowy (NL) - Chicago Cubs *'The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award' **Ossie Bluege - Washington Senators MLB Statistical Leaders Major League Baseball final standings American League final standings |} National League final standings |} Events January-March April-June *May 17 - For the fourth time in four days, every American League game was postponed due to rain. July-September *August 1 - Mel Ott hits the 500th home run of his major league career. *August 4 **World War II amputee Bert Shepard pitches in a game for the Washington Senators. **Tom McBride of the Boston Red Sox ties a major league record with 6 RBI in the 4th inning of a game with the Washington Senators. **Senators pitcher Joe Cleary becomes the last native of Ireland to appear in a major league game. *September 9 - Cleveland Indians first baseman Mickey Rocco leads the way to a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees with two home runs, two doubles, and two singles. A crowd of 72,252 is on hand at Yankee Stadium to see their team lose 10-3 and 4-3. *September 29 - Chicago Cubs catcher Paul Gillespie homers in his final major league at bat. In 1942 he homered in his first major league at bat. He is the only player in MLB history to do both. October-December *October 23 - Jackie Robinson is signed by the Dodgers; he is later assigned to the Montreal Royals for the 1946 season. He is listed as a shortstop. Date Unknown *The Mexican Winter League is born with the name Liga Invernal de Sonora Births January-March *January 3 - Larry Barnett *January 7 - Tony Conigliaro (d. 1990) *January 25 - Wally Bunker *February 11 - John Paciorek *February 12 - Don Wilson (d. 1995) *March 11 - Dock Ellis (d. 2008) April-June *April 2 - Mike Kekich *April 2 - Reggie Smith *April 2 - Don Sutton *April 11 - Mike Kilkenny *April 15 - Ted Sizemore *May 3 - Davey Lopes *May 29 - Blue Moon Odom *June 25 - Dick Drago July-September *July 7 - Bill Melton *July 10 - Hal McRae *August 6 - Andy Messersmith *August 15 - Duffy Dyer *August 21 - Jerry DaVanon *September 8 - Ossie Blanco *September 13 - Rick Wise *September 16 - Ed Sprague *September 25 - Steve Arlin *September 26 - Dave Duncan October-December *October 1 - Rod Carew *October 15 - Jim Palmer *October 27 - Mike Lum *November 3 - Ken Holtzman *November 19 - Bobby Tolan *November 20 - Jay Johnstone *November 20 - Rick Monday *December 6 - Larry Bowa *December 12 - Ralph Garr *December 19 - Geoff Zahn Deaths *June 18 - Sid Mercer, 64, sportswriter for New York newspapers since 1905, previously in St. Louis; also an official with the St. Louis Browns from 1903-05 *August 7 - Bobby Veach, 57, left fielder for the Tigers who batted .310 lifetime, led AL in RBI three times and doubles twice *September 29 - George Van Haltren, 79, center fielder, primarily with the New York Giants, who batted .316 lifetime and ranked sixth all-time in both hits (2500+) and runs upon retirement; led NL in triples and steals once each, also won 40 games as pitcher, including a 6-inning no-hitter *December 27 - Hugh Fullerton, 72, Chicago sportswriter who helped break the story of the Black Sox scandal; an early advocate of the value of statistics, he first gained wide attention for correctly predicting the White Sox' upset of the Cubs in the 1906 World Series, even getting right the winner of each game and the day of a rainout